Balanced motor fuel



Pa tented Apr. 10, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

BALANCED MOTOR FUEL.

No Drawing,

This invention relates to liquid fuels for use in lnternal combustlonmotors. More particularly this invention appertains to im-.

provements in hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline, benzol,gasoline-benzol mixtures, and other volatile fuels for use inautomotors. 1 The primary object of the present invention is to adaptfuels of the character mentioned, for more efficient and satisfactoryuse in the internal combustion motors of auto: mobiles andotherautomotors, by improving combustion, increasing operatingefiiciency, eliminating or reducing the formation of 5 carbon monoxideand other obnoxious gases in the exhaust, and partly or totallyeliminating the formation of carbon deposits.

Another object is to provide a fuel by" blending gasoline or otherhydrocarbons with some suitable compound 'of the character mentioned inthe specification, whereby. the tendency to knock of the. gasoline orother fuel used as a basis will be corrected without prejudice to othervaluable and necessary characteristics possessed by said fuels.

Uther objects will more fully appear as the description proceeds, andthe novel features and advantages of the, invention will 0 be set forthin the appended claims.

As stated in the premises, this invention does not contemplate theproduction of a gasoline substitute for use, as a fuel in internalcombustion engines; but it does aim to produce a fuel for internalcombustion engines, the basis of which is some suitable volatilehydrocarbon, preferably gasoline, to which relatively, small quantitiesof one or more corrective agents tending to improve 40 its performance,have been added.

The low grades of fuels that an enormous demand has of late years forcedupon the market, and the general tendency of engine designers tovusehigher compression pressures, have given rise to difliculties of variousnature which seriously interfere with motor operation. Chief among thesedifficulties is the tendency to knock that the average fuel developsunder current practice conditions. Another serious difficulty is foundin the formation of carbon deposits in the cylinders and in other partsof the engine. Still another seriously objectionable feature is impropercombustion, causing Application filed December 23, 1924. Serial No.757,732.

poor operating efficiency, and also causing the occurrence of carbonmonoxide 1n the exhaust.

\Vhile these difiiculties may be due, singly I or in combination, to awide variety of factors, yet 1n most instances there is a close1nterrelat1on 1n the occurrence. Thls 1s esg'iecially true in connectionwith the hydrocarbon fuels to which this invention more" particularlyrefers.

In fact, while a tendency to knock may frequently be attributed to anexcess of hydrogen in the fuel-air mixture, yet the formation of carbondeposits is a contributory cause thereto; in some cases it is the maincause, the particles of incandescent carbon in the cylinder causingpreignition of the explosive mixture.

The formation of carbon deposits and that of carbon monoxide are alsoclosely interrelated, being both due, in the majority of cases, to adeficiency of oxygen in the fuel-air mixture' The problem, therefore.mainly consists in so correcting the relative proportions of the variousconst1tu-' cuts in the mixture, that the performance of the fuel may begenerally improved.

This subject has been extensively dealt with by me in other patentapplications, one

entitled Motor fuels filed October 8, 1924, erial No. 742.428; oneentitled Fuel for heat engines, filed October 14, 1924, Serial No.743,636; another one entitled Fuels for internal combustion engines,filed Novem-- ber 21, 1924, Serial No. 751,398; and two.

others, one entitled Fuels for automotors, and the other entitledAnti-knock fuels, filed simultaneously herewith.

In my application No. 7 51,398, I have explained how the tendency of afuel to detonate, and the deficiency of oxygen can be corrected at oneand the'same time by blending the fuel with substances decreasing thepercentages of fuel elements in the fuel-air mixture, thus increasingthe relative proporhave pointed out the advantages which may be derivedby adding to gasoline a proportion of dimethyl ketone and a proportionof alcohol, and preferably also a small proportion of water.- Acorrective action is obtained by these additions, principally due.

to the-reduction of the fuel elements in the fuel-air mixture, a certainincrease in the supply of oxygen, and the supply of a ther; mal diluenthaving a high latent heat of vaporization.

Small additions of tetranitromethanc or some other compound containingoxygen in excess of its own fuel requirements, may also be made, tosupply oxygen to cover any possible remaining deficiency.

In my other application entitled Antiknock fuels, filed simultaneouslyherewith, I have described and claimed the use of a ketone-alcohol as ablending agent, with or without the addition of water or an oxidizingagent, or both. Compounds of this character, such as mentioned in thesaid application, are more energetic in their action in redueing thefuel contents and in increasing the oxygen in the fuel-air mixture, andtherefore smaller quantities are needed to produce the desired effect.

The present application is more specifically directed to the use ofblending agents which contain a relatively large proportion of oxygen,and which bring about a balancing action upon the fuel composition,byVat the same time increasing its capacity for power generation. Thisis obtained by using as a blending. agent a solution of some suitableoxide of nitrogen in some suitable solvent, the' solvent itselfassisting in bringing about the balanced condition of the fuel.

Nitrogen is capable of producing five different oxides, which are allmore or less soluble in various solvents. I have found nitrogen peroxidereferable for use on account'of its relative stability, high oxygencontents, and solubility in substances which are particularly welladapted to' correct the fuel contents of the mixture. In fact nitroenperoxide is quite soluble in dimethyl etone acetic acid, methyl alcoholand ethyl alcoho in the order named, and these su stances have beenmentioned before as the very ones which are advocated as suitableblending agents.

Asa rule I- prefer to use as a solvent dimethyl ketone, not only becauseit takes up a larger proportion of the oxide, but also' because it iscompatiblewith water; and at times, especially when the heavier gradesof gasoline are used, it may be advisable to add a small-pro ortion ofwater as a thermal diluent, in a dition to the nitro en provided bythe'ox'ide. As I have exp ained in my previous application, water hasthe advantage of having a high latentheat of vapor1- zation, andtherefore it has a tendency to in the fuel mixture, orivhcn a suitablecarrying agent is employed, such as dimethyl kc tone; it follows,therefore, that a suitable blending compound may also be had bydissolving 'a certain quantity of a nitrogen oxide, in a mixture ofdimethyl ketone and alcohol;

Owing to the variety of conditions that a fuel is expected to meet, andowing to the different compositions of the fuels themselves, it ispractically impossible ,to set downany hard and fast rule for thecompounding of a fuel mixture. The adjustment of the carburetor, otherconditions being equal, has a controlling influence upon the nature ofthe fuel-air mixture. While the best eifi ciency is obtained by theproduction of rather lean mixtures, the average practice is to adjustthe carburetor for maximum power and flexibility, and this adjustment israther on the-side of a rich mixture, where the fuel-air ratio is about1:123. I

For average compression pressures, and average carburetor adjustment,using a fairly good grade of gasoline as a basis, I have found thefollowing mixture to'be satisfactory:

Nitrogen peroxide, dissolved in the ket'OIl 13 If a rather heavier gradeof gasoline is used, the following mixture is to be recom-" mended:

Partsby a weight. I Gasoline 77 Kerosene A 3 Dimethyl ketone a; 6Nitrogen peroxide 9 Water 5 According to the fuel used, and to performance conditiozisto bemet, various mixtures may be prepared withthese ingred ents varyin between the following proportions:

Liquid hydrocarbonfuel', from 60 to 98 parts. 1

One of the oxides of nitrogen, from 1 to 30 parts.

A suitable solvent therefor,'from 1 to 25 p 2 Water, from O to 10 parts.

As stated .above, I prefer to use gasoline sults. In such cases, adecrease of the fuel elements in the fuel-airmixt-ure" is not necessary,and it may not even be desirable from the standpoint of power generatingcapacity; and therefore it is sufficient to dissolve the oxide ofnitrogen used directly into the fuel.

All the nitrogen oxides are heavy gases, easily dissolved, and easilyretained in solution; so that once the fuel, or the fuel mix-f ture,have been charged with asuitable quantity of nitrogen oxide gas, ther'esulting .mixtures are quite stable, and there is no tendency of the Iclaim:' I 1. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustionengine, comprising a mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon, an oxide gas toescape.

of nitrogen, and a solvent forsaid oxide.

ternal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon,an oxide of nitrogen, a solvent for said oxide, and a relatively smallproportion of Water.

4. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an int ernal combustion engine,comprising a mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon, an oxide of nitrogen,anddimethyl ketone.

5. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an in- 6. A liquid fuel adapted foruse in an internal combustion engine, comprising a mixture of a liquidhydrocarbon, nitrogen perox-- idefdimethyl ketone, and arelatively small\proportion of Water. 1

7. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine,comprising a mixture of a liquid hydrocarbon, a ketone, and an oxide ofnitrogen dissolved in said ketone.

8. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine,comprising a mixture of a petroleum'distillate dimethyl ketone, andnitrogen peroxide dissolved in said ketone.

9. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine,comprising a mix ture of aliquid hydrocarbon from 60 to 98 parts, anoxide of nitrogen from 1 to 30 parts, and a solvent for said oxide, from1 to 25 parts.

10. A liquid fuel adapted for use in an internal combustion engine,comprising a mixture ofa; liquid hydrocarbon from 60 to 98 parts, .anoxide of nitrogen from 1 to 30 parts, a solvent-for'said oxide, from 1to 25 parts, and Water, from O to 10 parts.

11. A liquid fuel adapted foruse in an internal combustion engine,comprising a mixture of petroleum distillate from 60 to 98 parts,nitrogen peroxide from 1 to 30 parts, 'dimethyl ketone from 1 to 25parts, and water, from 0 to 10 parts.

EDWARp F; CHANDLER.

